Rainwater Charitable Foundation Announces 4th Rainwater Awards | RYT9

Award winners are recognized for their innovative scientific findings in the field of neurodegenerative diseases.

The Rainwater Charitable Foundation is one of the largest private funders of neurodegenerative disease research. Neurodegenerative Disease announced the winners of the Annual Dwr Glaw Award for Outstanding Innovation in Neurodegenerative Disease Research and the Dwr Glaw Young Scientist Award (Dwr Glaw Award for Innovative Early Career Scientist) This year’s Outstanding Innovation Award went to a group of scientists, from include Dr. C. Frank Bennett from Ionis (Inis), Dr. Don W. Cleveland from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), and Dr. Timothy M. Miller. ) from the University of Washington, and Dr. Susanne Wegmann from the German Center for Degenerative Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) received the Emerging Scientist award. The award ceremony will take place during the Eurotau Conference 2023 on April 27, 2023 in Lille, France.

The Rainwater Award honors scientific advances that lead to new treatments for neurodegenerative diseases caused by the deposition of tau proteins in the brain. and foster scientific discovery by raising awareness of the neurodegenerative research gap. Bringing new researchers into the field of tauopathy and awarding prizes to recognize scientific achievements that have the potential to lead to innovative and effective therapies.

Rainwater Award for Outstanding Innovation in Neurodegenerative Disease Research

A group of scientists includes Dr. Bennett, Dr. Cleveland and Dr. Miller for their work on the development of Antisense technology for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. These include ALS, Huntington’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease. and gray matter parasites for the past 20 years.

• Dr. Bennett, Chief Scientific Officer of ionis company Continue to develop antisense technology and expand the Ionis drug discovery platform. It works on antisense. For 30 years, he began studying the potential of Antisense technology to develop treatments for ALS and SMA muscular dystrophy Almost 20 years ago, the first drug to treat SMA, nusinersen, was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2016 and has since been approved in more than 50 countries worldwide. He is currently researching a treatment for Huntington’s disease. which is undergoing final clinical trials It is also a leader in the invention and development of other drugs for neurological diseases.
• Cleveland, Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine Cellular and Molecular Medicine) University of California, San Diego Discovery and characterization of tau proteins Intracellular accumulation of tau protein is a marker for many neurodegenerative diseases. These include dementia.Dr. Cleveland, in collaboration with Dr. Bennett and Dr. Miller develops a DNA drug using gene silencing technology in the human nervous system. It has been studied in seven clinical trials aimed at treating ALS, Huntington’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease. and Alzheimer’s disease
• Dr. Miller, Vice President for Research and Professor of Neurology in the Faculty of Medicine. Washington University in St Louis He has been a leader for more than two decades in developing effective treatments for neurodegenerative diseases. These include ALS and graying syndrome In 2007, Dr Miller started an extended research project on ALS. and start trials to improve the quality of life of patients with neurological diseases The latest results from the use of SOD1 ASO developed in collaboration with Dr. Cleveland and Dr. Bennett is clear that the slowing down of the SOD1 gene is linked to ALS. In addition, his laboratory led the development. BIIB080/IONIS-MAPT_Rx It is an antisense drug that reduces tau mRNA and protein for the treatment of mold parasites.

“This award is a great honour. And I look forward to using this research grant to support further research efforts,” said Dr Cleveland. Prevents the accumulation of tau proteins.

Rainwater Award for Young Scientist

• Dr. Wegmann, lead researcher at the German Center for Degenerative Diseases. The function of tau protein in neurodegenerative diseases is being studied. He uses models and experimental methods to identify the normal function of tau protein and its abnormal functions in the brains of patients with neurodegenerative diseases. He saw a leap forward from in vitro testing to human testing. by examining biochemical, biophysical and cytological outcomes in postmortem human brain tissue. It was her interest in solving difficult problems that drove her to obtain her degree in engineering. Currently, Dr. Wegmann and colleagues focus on identifying new tau protein interactions and the role of tau protein phase separation in Alzheimer’s disease and Gray Syndrome

“I feel very honoured. And the prize money will help stimulate further research. “Determining how tau protein causes different types of toxicity is not fully understood,” said Dr. Wegmann. and will continue to strive to expand the basic biological knowledge to assist in disease research.”

Cleveland, Dr. Bennett, Dr. Miller and Dr. Wegmann for the Distinguished Innovation Award ($400,000) and the Rising Scientist Award ($200,000). research into neurodegenerative diseases. The four were chosen based on the quality of the research and its application to gray matter. consultation leadership and its positive impact within the scientific community.

“I am very excited about this year’s Rainwater winners,” said Todd Rainwater, Asset Manager for the Rainwater Charitable Foundation, The collaborative development of drug discovery reflects the importance of teamwork. Presenting this year’s Star of the Future Award to Dr. Wegmann highlighted exciting scientific discoveries in Europe and around the world. I’m sure my father would be very proud of these scientists and their significant advances in this field.”

Learn more about this year’s award winners at www.rainwaterprize.org

For Rainwater Charity Medical Research
The Rainwater Charitable Foundation (RCF) was founded in the early 1990s by private equity investor and philanthropist Richard E. Rainwater. The foundation supports various projects in the field of basic education. medical research and other valuable activities, in order to fulfill its mission of accelerating the development of new diagnostics and treatments for tau protein-related neurodegenerative diseases. The Rainwater Charitable Foundation’s medical research team has established the Tau Consortium and the Rainwater Award Program Additionally, the Rainwater Charitable Foundation has invested more than $161 million in medical research to date This has helped advance eight treatments into human trials . See more information at rainwatercharitablefoundation.org

Contact information for the organisation
Jordan Brainerd
Rainwater Charitable Foundation
Email: jbrainerd@rainwatercf.org
Phone: (817) 820-2708

Press contact information
Shannon’s Fox
The Edelman Company
Email: shannon.fox@edelman.com
Phone: (646) 262-7427

Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1989850/RCF_Logo.jpg

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